At What Price
by Aya Diefair
Summary: Narcissa was taken from them, and Lucius wished that he realized the consequences of his actions before it was too late. — - Collection of 1-Shots where Narcissa died during The Battle of Hogwarts.
1. At What Price

Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)

 **Written for The Houses Competition Round 1, Year 3**

 **Written for QLFC Season 6, Round 5**

 **House:** Hufflepuff

 **Position:** Head Student

 **Category:** Standard

 **Prompt:** [Color] Azure

 **Team:** Wigtown Wanderers

 **Position:** Chaser 2

 **Position Prompt:** Use the title of a story written by your Chaser 3 for inspiration. (At What Price)

 **Additional Prompts:**

[Genre] Family

[Word] Eternity

[Emotion] Apathetic

 **Word Count:** (Per Google Docs) 1,119

 **Beta(s):** Magi **,** Dina, CP

* * *

 **Summary:** Narcissa was taken from them, and Lucius wished that he realized the consequences of his actions before it was too late.

 **Genre:** Family, Tragedy

 **Warning(s):** Mentions of Character Death

* * *

 **At What Price**

Love has no middle term: it either saves, or it destroys.

 _Victor Hugo_

 **.oOo.**

The War ended but not without loss. Both sides suffered sacrifices paid with the lives of those who fought for what they thought were right. Such loss will never be forgotten; it will forever be a mark on the world, a blackened, charred darkness in history that will linger for generations to come that will remind them the consequences of opposing views.

She did it out of an act of love for the sake of their son. The risk hadn't mattered so long as she knew he was safe. The price she paid would change their family forever. It didn't matter who was friend or foe to the Dark Lord; whoever crossed him would face his wrath regardless.

Narcissa's lie was realized when Harry revealed he was not dead. When she and Lucius attempted to slip into the castle to look for Draco was when her punishment was paid. The memory of the green flash of light snuffing the life from her will forever be burned into his conscious.

Lucius and Draco were pardoned for their crimes committed, an extension of mercy from Harry as a gratitude for what she did for him. Had it not been for her sacrifice in this war, he would have never been able to defeat Voldemort.

Shock caused Lucius to appear apathetic about his tragic loss of his wife, about the emptiness that echoed throughout the manor as he walked through the corridors in silence. Draco struggled to restrain his thoughts about the outcome of war and the damage that had been done to their family name.

Lucius found him sitting on the cream-colored settee in the grand bedchamber, pressing an azure pillow to his chest as he stared at the vanity across the room. Narcissa's beauty products, brushes, and jewelry boxes sat untouched in their respective places.

"What do you do when there's nothing but pain left inside of you?" Draco asked, tone wavering.

Lucius had no way to answer him. He didn't know how to offer the comfort his son desperately sought from him right now. Silver eyes met when he approached Draco, only capable of pulling him and the azure pillow into a hug. The young man's body shook with emotion, but soon it stilled as the quiet stretched on between them.

* * *

It hadn't taken much time for Draco to recall all of the wrong Lucius brought upon the family, the mistrust placed in the promise of a dominant future the Dark Lord reign would give them. He was disgusted in knowing that his father's actions had lead to the devastating consequences of losing Narcissa.

"You made me a promise— _us_ a promise—to protect and provide for us no matter what," Draco hissed on the eve of her funeral. "This was not the change you claimed we were going to get. This is a punishment for _your_ wrongdoing, and now we both have to suffer for it!"

Lucius wasn't going to offer excuses. He was not going to dismiss the guilt in knowing that he was in fact responsible for his wife's death. Yet he didn't have the heart to verbally admit that Draco was right. If he did, he wouldn't be able to cope himself. They both couldn't afford to fall apart right now, but they also couldn't risk tearing each other apart, either.

"If I had known, Draco—"

"I can't even look at you right now."

Draco's' words stung Lucius as he stormed from the sitting room. All Lucius could do was swallow the amber liquid he held in hand and allow the burn dull the ache within him. Lucius was slowly losing his family, and he didn't know how to stop it.

"I should have known…"

* * *

Lucius held the neatly folded azure shawl in his hands, a red rose resting on the soft material as he reminisced how it always made the blue of Narcissa's eyes almost glow whenever she wore the garment. It was one of her favourite accessories whenever she dressed herself for an outing. One of Lucius's fonder memories of her wearing it was with a lovely cream-colored dress with it for the Ministry Annual Dinner one year. He remembered how stunning she'd looked, how she complimented the color combination with her beautiful golden yellow hair, gorgeous eyes, and dusty rose lips.

Looking at her had felt like he was gazing upon an angel from heaven.

As the officiator spoke her eulogy in front of the Malfoy crypt. He barely registered the words of praise he gave, instead silver eyes skimmed across the few who came to pay respects to the witch in her passing. It was odd to see the boy who saved the world there, standing off to the left and a bit back from the coffin with someone he had not seen in a very, very long time. On first glance, Lucius swore the woman was a ghost of Narcissa's eldest sister, but once reason set in at the sight of the infant she held in her arms, he knew it was Andromeda.

The gesture alone would have meant a lot to Narcissa, and that was all that mattered to him. Lucius wouldn't dare send either them away – there was no point. Draco stood to his right, a young lady was at his side clinging to his arm to offer a form of comfort. He couldn't recall a name at the moment, but right now, he was simply happy to see that there was someone out there that would make his son happy.

Silence hovered over the tiny gathering of family and friends, allowing the moment of quiet respect for Narcissa before she would be placed in the crypt to rest. It felt like time had stood still and an eternity had passed before Lucius placed a kiss on the azure shawl and the red rose. The faint smell of perfume lingered on the fabric, he couldn't help but breathe it in for a beat before laying the garment and rose on the lid of the coffin. He couldn't bear to see her lifeless form one last time. He wanted to remember the angelic memory of her in his mind's eye, smiling and full of life.

The crypt was soon sealed – Narcissa inside with Lucius' ancestors – and the few who had come were quietly waiting for direction from him. Draco had silently slipped away with the young lady without him noticing. The gesture hurt, but he held a silent hope that they simply excused themselves back to the manor for the reception.

Lucius would not get to see nor speak to Draco for several years.

* * *

 **Shannon's Showcase:** 15\. [Object] Red Rose

 **Book Club - Aunt Sticky Feet:** [Action] Hugging Someone [Object] Shawl [Word] Heaven

 **Showtime - Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story:** [Word] Time

 **Count Your Buttons:** [Dialogue] "I should have known."

 **Lyric Alley:** 19\. And I'm tryin' not to cry

 **Sophie's Shelf - Vault 11:** [Word] Sacrifice

 **Angel's Arcade - Riku:** [Color] Silver [Word Set] Darkness, Change, Mistrust [Dialogue] "You made me a promise."

 **Low's Lowdown:** [Quote] Love has no middle term: it either saves, or it destroys. - Victor Hugo [BONUS]

 **Bex's Biscuit Barrel - Rich Tea:** [Word] Wrong [Emotion] Disgusted [Dialogue] "I can't even look at you right now."

 **Days of the Year - International Widow's Day:** Write about a widow

 **Birthstone - Sapphire:** [Dialogue] "What do you do when there's nothing but pain left inside of you?"

 **Flowers - Foxglove:** [Word] Heart

 **Fire Element:** [Word] Charred

 **Shay's Musical Challenge - South Pacific:** Write about struggling to accept something someone can't change.

 **Insane House Challenge:** 42\. [Character] Lucius Malfoy

 **365 Challenge:** 115\. [Emotion] Upset


	2. Until It's Gone

**Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)**

 **Written for The Houses Competition, Round 9, Year 3**

 **Written for Monthly Challenges for All Challenge 2018**

 **Written for QLFC Season 6, Round 13**

 **Term 9 - Assignment 8 - Ghost Hunting Task 5:** Write about the death of a spouse.

 **House:** Hufflepuff

 **Position:** Head Student

 **Category:** Short

 **Prompt:** [Word] Indelicate (Definition) - Offensive to a sense of generally accepted propriety, modesty, or decency; improper, unrefined, or coarse. Having or showing a lack of sensitive understanding or tact. **Synonyms:** insensitive, tactless, inconsiderate, undiplomatic, impolitic

 **Representation:** Lucius Malfoy; Funeral; Widowed; Mourning; Arrogantly Proud; Stripped and Broken; Bitter and Hateful; Government Throws The Tome At Him; Exile;

 **Bonus Challenge(s):** These Boots; Second Verse (Middle Name; Some Beach; Unwanted Advice; Sitting Hummingbird; Uncivil Obedience; Casper's House; Creature Feature; Tied & Died)

 **Team:** Wigtown Wanderers

 **Position:** Chaser 2

 **Position Prompt: Ghost:** Write about someone who is unable to let go of a grudge or resentment.

 **Additional Prompts:**

(action) getting down on one's knees

(song) Good Old Days by Macklemore feat. Kesha

(emotion) anger

 **Word Count:** (Per Google Docs) 2,454

 **Beta(s):** Jet

* * *

 **Summary:** Consequences of one's actions will surface one way or another, Lucius learned that the hard way.

 **Rated:** T

 **Genre:** Family, Tragedy

 **Warning:** Mentions of Character Death

* * *

 _'Cause someday soon, your whole life's gonna change_

 _You'll miss the magic of the good old days_

—Macklemore Ft. Kesha, "Good Old Days"

Lucius could see the flames lick the towers of the castle above the treeline as they waited for the boy that gave their cause so much grief. As he stood beside Narcissa, broken and defeated by the one he once proudly served without question, they waited for the next devastating stage of this war while they wondered if their son was among the casualties or the living inside the school. The minutes ticked by and the silence stretched on. It gave him time to mentally curse Potter for everything that had happened up to this point. Their lack of wielding wands, his fall from grace with the Dark Lord, the condemning of his own son to fulfill an impossible task, prolonging his imminent death from happening, and barring his chance to get Draco out of harms way before it got this far.

But then everything suddenly happened in a handful of seconds. Potter emerged from the trees alone shortly after Yaxley and Dolohov, his eyes never leaving Voldemort. Lucius wasn't sure if words were exchanged, but the terrifying flash of green light soon struck the boy without mercy, and his body crumpled to the ground before his onlookers. Yet Voldemort was indelicately thrown backwards, too.

Bellatrix was the first to spring to his aid. He pushed her helping hands away as he slowly regained his footing and looked at the body laying in front of him. Voldemort seemed unsure why he fell with Harry, but he glared at the body briefly before looking at the group behind him. Lucius wondered if he doubted the curse worked, after all it didn't work properly the first time. The commanding hiss that stretched out into the air made Lucius shudder.

"Is he dead?"

It was directed at no one, and yet it was asked of anyone who bore witness to the slaughter. No one moved or responded, unsure what their master wanted from them. The silence was mind numbing, the only thing breaking it was the cracking of the dying fire nearby.

"You!" Voldemort snarled, throwing a shocking spell right at Narcissa.

Her gasp of pain from the spell snapped Lucius to the present, wrapping his arms around her as she almost doubled over from the brief shock the spell inflicted. It wasn't quite as powerful as the Cruciatus Curse, but it mimicked it well.

"Confirm the boy is dead."

It took Narcissa a moment to regain her composure. Lucius felt her squeeze his hand tightly before squaring her shoulders and marching toward the body before her sister could seize the opportunity from her. Lucius watched on, breath held, as she knelt over the boy.

With a fluid movement several long seconds later, Narcissa rose to her feet and turned to face Voldemort. Her face revealed nothing to the onlookers, but Lucius saw the slight inclination of her head as she confronted the fierce red eyes glaring back at her. It meant that the Dark Lord was looking in her mind, and she was allowing it. It was the only way he wanted to confirm an answer anymore.

"Dead."

She declared to the masses, expression not faltering as she returned to Lucius' side, gripping his hand tightly in hers as she pressed herself into his side. Voldemort moved toward the body, arms spread as he turned his back on Potter's body and faced his followers. The gleeful uproar broke the thick air around them concealed the words Narcissa uttered in Lucius' ear when she embraced him.

"Draco's alive."

The words puzzled him before the realization almost broke his own passive mask. He knew she only learned about this because of Potter. He gripped her hand tighter as they fell into step with the others. Lying to the Dark Lord would certainly end in disaster, but he never doubted her ability as an Occlumens, or as a mother. It was done in defiance, it was made with the promise to find their son, and so he confidently walked with her knowing the great risk she had taken was the only they would be permitted to enter the castle.

* * *

Despite their efforts to steadily slip closer to the castle entrance between the other followers while Voldemort listened to the Longbottom boy's speech, the discovery that Potter was not dead at all upon his body's sudden disappearance drove his former master into a blind fury. Some cowards Apparated away as the arrows from the centaurs started cascading overhead, the remaining followers charged forward, throwing spells every which way. Lucius held Narcissa as firmly as he could, adrenaline guiding them toward the castle among the chaos as the crowd of people hiding them thinned out.

Narcissa's lie did not go unpunished after all.

He wasn't looking when the curse struck his wife's body, but her hand was suddenly wrenched out of his as she indelicately crumpled to the ground. Collapsing to his knees in the debris and rubble, the world around him blurred and faded as he hastily shook Narcissa's shoulders to no avail. She was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Leaving her to lie there in the courtyard was not an option, so Lucius did the only thing he could – he collected her in his arms and carried her into the castle where the other side had gathered their own dead and lay her carefully on the floor of the trophy room. He still needed to find Draco, but it didn't stop him from cursing Potter's name again through the choking sobs for something else to go wrong in his life. He placed a gentle kiss on Narcissa's forehead before returning to the madness outside.

The desperate search was soon overcome with relief when Lucius spotted Draco flee into a deserted restroom. He quickly followed, and the panic on being followed was etched deeply on his son's features that it took him a long second to realize who it was. Draco immediately ran to him, the iron gripping hug was unexpected, but Lucius gratefully pulled his son in and returned it. The pair slowly sank to the damp floor. As they knelt there, Lucius fought the sting of tears pricking at his eyes as he processed everything that has happened in the last several minutes – hours? – once more.

It was rare for this sort of affection to be exchanged between them, but it was accepted without a second thought or question regardless of the indelicate nature.

"Where's Mother?" Draco half-whispered into the quiet room several minutes later.

His head was bowed, but was not quite resting on Lucius' shoulder. The question rang loudly in his ears as the sharp stab in his chest struck him hard. He placed a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder, prompting him to meet Lucius' red-ringed eyes with his own.

"He... took her..."

The roars of victory seemed to have shook the castle, muffling the hard sob escaping Draco.

If only they both knew how much their world was going to shift with that one change alone.

"Why…"

"Because we don't live in a world that's fair anymore," Lucius said coarsely. "We live in this new one now."

* * *

"The court is now in session. We are continuing the prosecution of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's captured followers and their crimes against the wizarding world..."

Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke loudly to the crowd from the compendium, but Lucius had long since tuned out his opening speech. He already saw his fate once, and he knew that he would see the bars of Azkaban once more, never to see the light of day again. If anyone asked, he would say he didn't care about his imminent ruling from the Wizgonment, he only waited as they ran down the list of seized criminals to come to his name.

Today was that day.

As the endless list attached to his name was read, Lucius prepared for ultimate sentencing. If they gave him a chance, he would beg to have Draco's own crimes placed on him as well. It was the least he could do for his son after everything he went through the last few years. The loyalty he held within the Ministry was obsolete now, his silvertongue rendered useless, but he would try.

What wasn't expected was Potter coming to his aid. Potter, the cause of all his suffering, rose to his feet within the counsel, and interjected before the unanimous ruling.

"Wait," he said, and Lucius was met with stern emerald eyes. "I have a proposition for the Malfoys."

The court went quiet, and the haggard figures of both blond's stiffened at the suggestion that Potter was about to place his reputation at risk, but he was to be heard regardless.

"If it hadn't been for Narcissa Malfoy, I wouldn't be alive. Because of her, we are not facing a bleak future." Hearing her name struck Lucius hard, the stiffness of his shoulders slackened, and he slumped over like the ruined man that he was. "In honor of her death, I wish the court allow them to walk free."

The words blurred in Lucius' skull as the court grew restless at the request. He didn't hear the dismissal of the trial for the re-evaluation of the Malfoy's case.

They may have evaded prison, but the tome was still thrown at them. The Ministry knew where to hit them, and they hit it hard.

Lucius should have felt grateful for the undeserved amnesty granted to he and his son by the Ministry, but he almost wished to have gone to jail after being stripped of almost everything else that day. Potter didn't care what happened to them beyond having that one charge amended.

* * *

Lucius stood in the foyer of the now barren home, Draco stood nearby. Boxes and portraits littered the floors, waiting for it to be transported away to its new destination. The manor was no longer theirs, seized by the Ministry for being the Official Headquarters of the Death Eaters. He turned to face the tapestry Draco was looking at and saw over his shoulder the decayed branch bore Narcissa's name.

Draco touched it with a gentleness Lucius hadn't known he was capable of.

"Will they permit a funeral for her?"

"They wouldn't deny us the ritual," Lucius said with damaged confidence. "I will make sure that she will be honored properly."

He placed a hand on his son's shoulder, but it was shrugged off. "You've done enough damage, Father," Draco hissed sharply. "I'll handle my mother's burial myself."

"Draco…"

Draco's fist tightened at his side. "If it wasn't for you being so reckless with power none of this would've happened."

"Son, please—"

"Shouldn't you be moving this rubbish out of here?" the flash of anger was prominent in Draco's eyes as they shifted from the family tree tapestry to bore into Lucius'. "Enjoy your exile, Father."

He was gone before Lucius recovered from the bitter taste of truth his son fed him. His glassy grey eyes fell on Narcissa's name. He couldn't help but kneel beside it and place his hand over her name, closing his eyes to hold in the tears.

"No one can replace you in our lives. I'm so sorry, my love."

* * *

Lucius stood at Narcissa's head where she lay on the raised platform. Fresh picked narcissus and forget-me-nots were made into a bouquet and placed under her hands that rested on her stomach. Her blonde hair was carefully braided and draped over her shoulder, and the deep navy blue dress was partially wrapped with a dark, royal purple cloak among the cherrywood branches lining her body. Even in death, her beauty still glowed.

Draco stood nearby, but Lucius couldn't tear his hard-set passive gaze from the few who surrounded his wife's body as the ritual started. Potter had come, holding an infant with bright blue hair, and the woman beside him was Narcissa's estranged sister Andromeda. Though he never personally met her, he could recognize a Black from a mile away. She was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, and a bout of anger seared under Lucius' skin. How dare she mourn over someone she hadn't spoken to for years?

Their childhood and young adult years were long gone, swallowed by the darkness and buried from war just like his son's now were. Reminiscing about them now will do nothing, making silent amends to the dead will change nothing. Betrayal was never forgotten in the House of Black, nor was it in the Malfoy's. In a sense, the Ministry had done just the same to he and his family, and Lucius found himself hating the world a little bit more. It will be a betrayal that Lucius will never forget, and he will forever place the blame on Potter.

Lucius soon found himself remembering fonder memories of Narcissa and the life they shared. From their early child studies, lessons on dance, etiquette, and grooming, to their Hogwarts years when sneaking out after dark to walk along the trail around the Black Lake was the most devious thing they did. The best memories, he thought, were when he was officially courting her during her seventh year. A lot of good was happening around then, he had taken a job at the Ministry, and he had temporarily fallen out of contact with Tom Riddle and the little group he formed during school.

If only he knew what that group would've turned out to be then, he may have thought better of it and quietly followed rather than fall into the high ranks. He was a better manipulator while standing on the sidelines than a commander leading an army, but Draco was right, Lucius got drunk on the power given to him, on the influence he had in the Ministry to cater to them. It was a bottle he knew was dangerous to drink from, yet he'd done so anyway.

The fire was soon lit and the flames soon engulfed the remains of his wife. Draco didn't say a single word to him as the flames and scent of cherry smoke simmered out into ash. Carefully collected and offered to him, Lucius declined, he did not deserve to possess her remains in her death, not after what he put her through.

He was soon escorted by an Auror to the Portkey distribution center where he would take a Portkey to his exile from the British Isles. Living out the remainder of his days alone and stripped of what he was.

Too proud to place the burden of the blame on himself, Lucius forever cursed the name of the Boy-Who-Lived.

* * *

Writing Club

 **Character Appreciation** \- 27. (Status) Pureblood

 **Disney Challenge - 5. Te Fiti** \- Alt. Write about heartbreak.

 **Book Club - Starr:** (plot point) watching a loved one die, (emotion) regret, (word) witness

 **Showtime - 11. Chava Ballet Sequence -** (word) Affectionate

 **Count Your Buttons** \- 4. [Word] Adrenaline

 **Lyric Alley** \- 2. I'm not just one of your many toys

 **Ami's Audio Admirations - Magnus Burnsides -** Alt: Write about a widow/er (bonus)

 **Sophie's Shelf - King James I:** Write about someone intolerant.

 **Em's Emporium - 13. Bonfires** \- (object) fire

 **Angel's Arcade - Dr. N. Gin:** (word) obsolete, (theme) loyalty, (action) kneeling

 **Lo's Lowdown** \- 3. [Quote] "We don't live in a world that's fair. We live in this one."

Autumn Event

 **Days of the Year - November 17th 2018 - World Peace Day:** Write about the immediate aftermath of war.

 **Autumn Prompt** \- (word) break

 **Color Prompt** \- Dark Purple

 **Birthstones - Lapis Lazuli** \- (dialogue) "No one can replace you."

 **Flowers** \- (word) Gasp

 **Audrey's Dessert Challenge** \- Chocolate Chips: (genre) Family

 **Ravenclaw Prompt** \- (colour) Navy Blue

 **Astronomy - Taurids Meteor Shower:** (word) Beauty

 **Fantastic Beast:** 19\. Thestral - (word) Death

 **Where To Find Them:** 60\. Maldives - (Prompt) Write about someone being exiled

 **Princess Lessons:** 5\. Melody: [Trait] Rebellious

 **Around the Board:** Burrow: Write about family.

 **Marauder's Map Madness:** 42\. [Object] Tapestry

 **365 Days Challenge:** 144\. [Genre] Family

 **Insane House Challenge:** 979\. [Emotion] Proud


	3. until the end (i'll be there)

_Written For:_

 **QLFC Season 7, Round 2**

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)**

 **Team:** Wigtown Wanderers

 **Position:** Keeper

 **Position Prompt:** Write about a character(s) who thrives in luxury and decadence having to live a minimalist life.

 **Word Count:** (Per Google Docs) 1,116

 **Beta(s):** Jet

* * *

 **Rated:** K

 **Genre:** Hurt/Comfort

 **Summary:** Lucius was exiled in the aftermath of the war, but living in solitude didn't do him any favors. It only made him more desperate.

* * *

Lucius took a final look at the Manor he and his ancestors once called home before he stepped through the wrought iron gate to meet the Auror who waited on the other side. The Ministry had stripped it from his hands the same way Voldemort stripped away his family, leaving him with nothing but a shadow of his former self. Draco was pardoned; a child victim to the wrong side of war, but Lucius knew his son would come away with his second chance better than he did with his.

His fate was different to his son's. He wouldn't be able to witness Draco's new chance at life or the wizarding world's recovery from another war.

Instead, Lucius was to make a new life of his own in exile. Though Draco and his trials could have gone far worse than they had, they still weren't able to take away anything he truly cared about anymore. Narcissa was gone, stolen from him by the man he pledged his loyalty to, and it was the ultimate price he had to pay for it.

The Auror Apparated him back to the Ministry for Lucius to transfer the remaining family estates and titles over to Draco before he would be sent to his exile on Iceland. It was the closest place to the United Kingdom who would accept his refuge.

It was either that or Azkaban.

"Mr. Malfoy, the barrister and your son are waiting in here," the Head Auror Lucius forgot the name of said, gesturing him to the room he stood in front of.

The process was quick, professional, and stiff. Draco refused to acknowledge Lucius' presence, and once the last line was signed and dated, he left the office with what remained of the family's legacy without a backwards glance. It was the same thing he did to Lucius at Narcissa's funeral the day before.

"Your ruling from the Wizengamot clearly stated for your relocation once things were settled here," the Head Auror said, holding out a piece of strange jewelry. "Now that all of your personal matters have been properly handled, I am to escort you out of the country now."

Normally Lucius would have a lot to say about the chain of events that had happened over the last several hours—or rather the entire day—but he was rendered speechless from the forced humbled state he was broken down into as its result. All he could do was nod and reach out to grab the offered piece of jewelry that would transport him to his new home.

Iceland was beautiful even in a rainstorm. Lucius was able to manage to obtain a small cottage near the coast just outside a small village with the pitiful remains of his finances. It was simple, comfortable, and intended for a single occupant. He was granted a wand designed by the Ministry, but the runes engraved and enchanted in it restricted its capabilities so drastically Lucius would've felt less insulted to simply not have one at all.

He made himself as comfortable as he could in the small space. The ocean was soothing to have as white noise as Lucius spent most of his time reading or writing letters knowing they'd never get sent or be answered. There were several times when he visited the village out of necessity rather than for social purposes; it was during those times he would remember the conversation he had with Narcissa about moving here when the time came to give Draco his space to thrive as the new Head of the Family.

How he longed to have Narcissa back.

Sometimes Lucius pretended the whisper of the ocean was her voice, reassuring him that there was nothing he could have done to change her fate. This did not last long once winter settled upon the island. The winds made the waves crash on the cliffside unsettling to the point that Lucius had to place a silencing charm around the cottage to stop hearing their horrid sounds. The days grew darker, and the weather colder than what he was used to.

At least the colored strips of light that danced across the sky was a sight to behold. He learned that they were called the Aurora Borealis, a truly mystical thing to witness.

The Muggle locals knew he was a foreigner, but they were polite enough to prepare him for the chance of being snowed in for several days or weeks at a time, to which Lucius was starting to feel grateful for having his wand despite its crippling restrictions. He took to their kindness with apprehension, unsure of how to gauge or handle their way of life. It was enough, however, for Lucius to start learning the language at the very least.

This lead him to explore his new home a little more once the snow melted and roads were usable again. Lucius used his over abundance of time to study, learn, adjust, and grow. Being a man of solitude was not his style, so the time to integrate with the locals slowly began.

If his ancestors were able to manage it so long ago, why couldn't he?

The rescuing of a stray Icelandic Sheepdog injured in a field of startled sheep gained him a new companion the village had named Gunner. They were going to kill him for harassing the livestock, but he was spared at Lucius' insistence and argument that no sheep were harmed. He was a welcome addition to the small space.

It helped Lucius learn of a small mixed community far south of the island from his cottage as well. They were not so welcoming of him, and it was clear that news of his exile was well known to the Icelandic magical community once he discovered it, so he kept to the more accepting locals.

The trip to the magical community wasn't all futile, Lucius learned a few things while there, and one of them was about an old enchanted mirror some described as being almost as mystical in its creation as the colorful lights in the sky. It granted its owner the ability to see their loved ones regardless of the distance, but how it exactly worked was uncertain.

Lucius often thought about his son, Draco, but all of his attempts to reach out left him empty handed in making any contact. He wondered if somehow finding one of these rare mirrors could help him bridge the gap he yearned to have back.

The quest to seek out a rare item wasn't something new for him, but the outcome had also been less than successful. Nevertheless, he would continue searching. What did Lucius have to lose, after all?


End file.
